


Shards

by ATLATDPSUfan



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: How Do I Tag, Okay bye, Slow Burn, Sorry Not Sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2020-04-24 15:51:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19176490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ATLATDPSUfan/pseuds/ATLATDPSUfan
Summary: Phase, phase, phase.Purple eyes appeared from the darkness.The walls changed from stone to metal.The air stuffed, the room heated, yet he paid no attention.It was, in fact, quite stormy that night.But when she saw the belt across his waist, she stopped, her smirk disappearing, hands shaking.The damn thing hadn’t changed from before.A dark magic spell to jump through shadows.It’s not Callum’s fault, either.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey!  
> Welcome to Shards!  
> Step right up for some good old fashioned angst and enough sweetness to give you cavities! Remember to floss!  
> Enjoy <3  
> Kather

If you delved deep into the bowels of the earth, traversing staircase after staircase after staircase, and another for good measure, you’d reach the dungeons. Only the most nefarious criminals were kept there; murderers, thieves and bandits who had committed crimes that hit… closer to home. There was, sadly, a lot of occupied cells. Just down the hall, the cages with savage monsters and beasts were held on chains above pits of lava.

 

A cloaked man strode down the hall, his feet silent, his shadow snuffed. The guards showed no sign as to acknowledging his arrival. In fact, their eyes were glazed over, in a way that most wouldn’t recognize, and guess at sleep deprivation. But no, anyone with magical background would have seen that they’d been enchanted. Enchanted ignorance, a basic spell. Quite useful, to obscure the minds of the weak.

 

He strolled calmly past the numerous horned, winged beasts. Past mud monsters, giants and trolls, all jeering at him and one another. And, down to the next room. More pixies, sprites, and other annoying foxtrots and sockhops.

 

More stairs. The air stuffed, the room heated, yet he paid no attention. The walls changed from stone to metal. Now one would have heard leather shuffling on the metal, as well as the telltale clank of the staff on the floor. He walked briskly, with purpose.

 

A ring of empty cages, each colored differently. He opened the door to the black one, stepping inside. Purple eyes appeared from the darkness. A girl sprang past him, laughing. But when she saw the belt across his waist, she stopped, her smirk disappearing, hands shaking.

 

He pulls out a mirror, and before you could sarcastically say, “Wow, what a formidable opponent,” the mirror glowed, and the girl’s terrified violet eyes were the last thing the Mage saw as his lips quirked upward into a sadistic grin.

 

The mirror flies out of his hand with a burst of light, which burns the cuffs off of her arms. She jumps into a shadow, trying to escape, disappearing into the darkness as the mirror hits her head. The man smiles, chuckling quietly to himself. A fate worse than death.

 

And there she lies, gathering dust in the corner of the King’s closet, as the man searches, to no avail. A fate  _ worse  _ than death.


	2. A Short Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I don wama geddup!"

It was a dark and storm- why are you looking at me like that? It was, in fact, quite stormy that night. It’s not my fault that these events transpired the way they did! I’m not part of this story! It’s not Callum’s fault, either. He doesn’t control the weather! Actually… well, not at this point in time. He was only a Mage-in-training. So no, no weather spells.  _ Anyway, _ the wind was howling through the normally gleaming towers, the ground was pitter-pattering with raindrops, and anyone within the Ring Of Mountains was awake. 

 

Even Callum, the Prince of the Snoozles (as well as Katolis) was staring at the ceiling. It was one of those nights when he practically  _ knew _ that an evil wizard was going to jump out of his closet. He turned around on his bed. Any second now, his little brother was going to run into his room for a hug. Thunder boomed, and, right on schedule, a high pitched squeal rang through the hallways of his much-too-large room.

 

Callum opened up his arms, and Ezran snuggled inside, clinging to the fabric of his tunic for all that was holy, and he let out a sigh, half exasperated and half amused by his antics, but not surprised. Never surprised. He knew why his little brother had nightmares like this. He had them too, when the incident was fresh in his mind.

 

He stroked Ezran’s back and the grip on his clothes softened. He continued the movement, gentle and comforting, just like his mother did. He hummed a tune, soft and soothing.  After what seemed like only a few minutes, the grip vanished completely, his little brother slumping onto Callum’s chest. Callum picked him up like a rag doll, but he barely stirred. Poor boy. He carried him back and lays him in bed, silently draping the covers on top of Ezran, knowing full well that they would be on the floor tomorrow. He walked silently back to his own.

  
  


He awoke to his father knocking lightly on his door, the sun slipping through his curtains. 

 

“Come in,” Callum yawns, throwing the blanket off and trudging to the mirror. He combs his hair, brushes his teeth, and rinses his face, all on autopilot. The nightmares from the night before were hazy. He hits his toe on the bed as he walks towards the bathroom door. He murmurs a curse as he hops with one foot to the door where his father was waiting.

 

“Callum, good morning,” King Harrow greets quietly, peeking around the door. “Wake your brother and head down to my room.”

 

So, as he walks away, Callum walks through the connecting door that his brother insisted they have. He scoops the blanket off the floor, folding it and placing it on the edge of the bed. Then, turning towards Ezran, who is curled up, sucking on his thumb, he shakes the bed violently. 

 

“I don wama geddup!” Ezran buries his head in a pillow. Callum grabs him under the arms and lifts him out of the bed.

 

Struggling to avoid kicks and slaps, Callum carries him into the mirror, setting him down and gently brushing Ezran’s hair. The little boy was still half asleep “We’re going to have breakfast with Dad.”

 

“I’ll only go if you give me an extra jelly tart…”

 

“Fine,” Callum sighs, pulling Ezran out into the hallway. Down, down, down the spiral staircase, and into the main building. They walk past the grand entrance, past the servant’s hall, the banquet hall, the kitc- Ezran pulls away, rushing into the kitchen. After a moment, he comes out with a jelly tsrt stuffed in his mouth. He reaches up and Callum grabs his hand again, rushing up another tower. Up, up, up and through the bedroom door. 

 

“Boys! Come, sit,” Their father pats the bed beside him. They sat down as their father passed them both a plate heaped with toast, fried Griffon eggs, and jam.

 

But Callum’s focus was trained to the corner of the room. He stared at a closet, colored red with gold trim, perplexed by the amount of power seeping out. 

 

Neither his brother nor his father saw the sparkling black wisps of smoke seething in the air, crawling out of the cracks in the closet and slithering around his feet, quiet voices playing in his ear. So, when he pushed his plate aside, they looked at him oddly, their stream of chatter slowing to a trickle of occasional whispers.

 

When he pulls the door open, the voices turn into a deafening roar, sending Callum sprawling onto the floor. “Callum! Prince of Katolis!”

 

Ezran and King Harrow stood up quite suddenly, both having heard the booming noise. The warning shrieks of birds in distant and the cries of civilians and servants soon follow. Everyone within the Ring of Mountains heard. And, somewhere, an evil wizard cackled.


	3. A Cool Artifact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "That was evident,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> I will provide the translations for the spells at the end!

Callum jumped up, searching under the assortment of attires. Underneath boxes and bags sat an ornate mirror. Covered in dust and spider webs, it’s rim was made of dark black metal, with a glowing purple gem on the handle. As soon as his hand made contact with it, the wisps stopped streaming out, the ones still there evaporating into thin air, the light in the gem snuffed out. He touched the runes on the edges, marvelling at the craftsmanship. 

 

“I… don’t think I’m going to have breakfast today,” Callum said, rushing out the door before his father could stop him. Down, down, down and past the kitchen, and the banquet hall. He skidded to a stop and rushed inside, tripping over an askew carpet. He scrambled back to his feet and reached for a photo.

 

A portrait of his mom, held in a light birch wood frame. Callum inherited her dark hair, her leaf green eyes, and her height. She was quite short, compared to most women. She was taller than King Henry, who was slightly above average for men. Henry also tells Callum that he has her smile.

 

She only gave Callum one thing of hers after she passed away. The rest had been burned in the Summer Palace, where she had been staying when the Fae killed her. A gold gem, held on a shimmery white chain. He never took it off, as it was the only tangible memory of her. She used to wear it everyday, and now he upholds that memory. It was there, at the Summer Palace as well, but somehow it survived unscathed.

 

He blinks out of his trance, pulling the photo aside. He steps into the bright passage, quite different from the standard secret tunnel. There was not a trace of mould, dust or moss. The floor was birch, and the walls were painted white. Orbs of light floated at even intervals at the ceiling. He breathed deeply. It was here, where he belonged. 

 

He certainly wasn’t the typical mage, his mom would have said. The orbs of light tickled his nose and he chuckled, batting them away. The mirror had lost the dark wisps, but he would make them reappear somehow. A table in the corner had all the necessary things to do so. He placed the mirror gently on the table, and he got to work. Artifacts were hard to come by, what with all the hunting of the magical creatures. 

 

Callum thought that it wasn’t even for any reason, except as an act of defiance against his father after he placed the ban on magical poaching. Even he wasn’t sure about why the ban was there. The Fae had killed his mother, and they still caused trouble on the streets. Back to the mirror. The damn thing hadn’t changed from before. He pulled out the first artifact. A small moonstone, only about the size of a pea. He crushed it in a grinding bowl and poured the powder into a small dropper. He muttered a spell in an ancient tongue under his breath while pouring it into a white cauldron. 

 

“Vjot tvupi ug luum,

Pux fytv ug tvupi.

Xomm tvesv tydj tqimm

Vu tiil vji vsyvj

Ug hmetta moit.”

 

The dust seemed to shimmer brighter but otherwise doesn’t change too much. He then grabbed a bright blue feather, a wing feather of a sea phoenix. He dipped it into the moonstone, saying another spell, slightly louder than the last.

 

“Gievjis ug cosf,

Sesi ug gmohvj.

Giif quxis ug mejjis,

Mu gysvjis quxis,

Tie Qjuipoz fu eof.”

 

When he pulled the feather out, all the hairs had been burned off. He grabbed a silvery vial, labelled ‘Unicorn Tears’. He sprinkled it over the top, shouting the final spell.

 

“Epf, metvma,

Djuuti xotima.

E vies ug gies

Xomm puv fu,

Upma kua xomm 

Gyofi yt vjuyhj.”

 

After a burst of purple dust, he gently dropped the mirror on top of the mixture. It seeps slowly in, disappearing in the goop. He dropped two drops in his eyes, wincing as they burn. 

 

He pulled the mirror out again, and he saw nothing for a while. Just his own reflection. As he put the mirror down, he saw a hunched over figure in the form of a girl, curled up on the ground, her back to him. His workings had borne fruit, and he looked at the image with wonder.   _ Was it a memory? Was it a real person? _ He looked closer, and let a sigh escape his lips. The girl’s head swiveled at the sound, quickly, sharply. Her eyes were a violet that he had never seen on a human being before. The girl stalked toward the mirror face.

 

“[Who are you?]” he saw her mouth to him. She was probably speaking to him. He sighed. He needed to put the potion in his ears, too. He put the mirror down, and the girl gaped up at the ceiling in surprise as Callum turned away. He put the fluid in his ears, grimacing at the texture. He never cared for these kinds of things. As the burning sensation went away, and the ringing in his ears, too, he heard what he wasn’t expecting nor ready for. Screaming, swearing, and  _ sobbing _ .

 

“—upid human! Won’t even talk to me, now I’m alone again. Wanted to hear another voice, ugh! Can’t even do that for me.” She cursed. The accented voice of the girl with the violet eyes startled Callum, and he lifted the mirror up again. He spoke gingerly like he knew this girl, but he couldn’t help being offended by ‘-upid human!’

 

“Hey, I’m back. Sorry! I hope I didn’t offend you  _ too _ much?” He said, waving softly. Her purple eyes blazed with an otherworldly glow. There was, oddly enough, recognition in that stare. She seemed to blink it out of her eyes, her voice finding its way out of her throat. The wisps appeared, black intertwining with his brown hair.

 

“Sorry. I… didn’t think you could hear me.”

 

“That was evident,” Callum says, biting his lip. “In multiple ways.”

 

“Uh, well. This… this is awkward. Right. Uh, I’m Rayla?”

 

“Callum.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first spell translates to:  
> "This stone of moon,  
> Now dust of stone.  
> Will start such spell  
> To seek the truth  
> Of glassy lies"
> 
> The second:  
> "Feather of bird,  
> Rare of flight.  
> Feed power of latter,  
> To further power,  
> Sea Phoenix do aid."
> 
> The third:  
> "And, lastly,   
> Choose wisely.  
> A tear of fear  
> Will not do,  
> Only joy will   
> Guide us through."
> 
> These are translations from a code only my best friend knows!
> 
> Reviews and Kudos are appreciated!
> 
> Love you all <3  
> Kather


	4. An Awkward Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Uh.”

Callum didn’t know who the girl was, let alone what she wanted, or why she was in there, but she didn’t seem to be able to threaten him, (though he was sure she would have had she not been in the mirror) so he and the girl just watched each other. There wasn’t much to say. The black wisps were still there, in a slow dance of twisting and tangling, still. He watched those as the girl twiddled her thumbs, thinking of something to say as the silence became almost deafening.

 

She turned to look up at him quite a few times, as if checking he was still there, and he was lost in those eyes of flaming purple. She looked away and the trance was broken. The nagging feeling that she was someone he knew was still fresh in his mind, and he couldn’t shake it.

 

“Uh.” She jumped, her head turning up to look at Callum. “Rayla, right?”

“Yes.”

 

“So… can I call you Ray?” He said, trying to lighten the mood. “Or, ‘Rala?” She stayed serious and answered with yet another one word answer.

 

“No.”

 

“Okay,” He smiled. “Ray.” Callum swore he saw a ghost of a smile.

 

She just rolled her eyes. Callum sighed, knowing that this was going to be difficult. As his mind worked to find another thing to say, she spoke up again. “Callie.” Now there was a smile, more, a smirk, actually.

  
  


It had been a few weeks, and Rayla, as he now called her, had won another debate on ethics. She smiled at him, wide, the one she always wore whenever she won.

 

“Fine,” He grumbled. She stayed quiet, that annoying yet familiar smirk still present on her face.“Rayla.”

 

“Good. Now that that’s been settled, can you please tell me how you found me?” She smiled a bittersweet smile. Callum started. She hadn’t asked him about that yet. Well, now was about as good a time as any.

  
  


“Yo- the mirror was sitting in my father’s closet. It had a very,  _ very _ strong trace of magic, so I looked inside, and here we are.” She looked up into the mirror face, as if trying to see something behind him. Callum looked back as a result. “What?”

 

“Where are you?” She craned her neck. “Where are  _ we _ ?”

 

“Uh… my secret hallway.”

 

“Bright walls for a secret hallway,” She crinckled her nose weirdly, still craning her neck. “They’re stereotypically dark and… stoney.”

 

“Well it’s technically not mine. Just something I found when I was little.”

 

“Someone  _ made _ a secret hallway, left it, and you just happened to find it? Must be an empty house, then.”

 

“No. I mean, no to empty, not to house,” He gave her a mock bow, his hair falling down over his face when he stood back up. He brushed it aside whimsically. “Callum, Prince of Katolis, heir to the throne. I humbly welcome you to my castle.”

 

“Katolis… Prince…” She stared at him, wide eyed. “I thought I recognized…” she shook her head quite suddenly, blonde hair falling smoothly on her shoulders. “Sorry. You didn’t seem like a Prince.”

 

“You’ve met princes?”

 

“Many, actually. Back when I was out and about. Snotty creatures, they are.”

 

“Thanks… I guess?” She still looked taken aback by what Callum said previously, shaking her head even more. She seemed frazzled and distant all of a sudden.

 

“No, no… you seem different. That’s why I was surprised that you even were one. I feel like I recognise you, but not as a prince. You act like some of my friends.” That faraway look returned in full stead, as if she were remembering something.  _ Damn. Of course she had friends and family! _

 

“How did you get in there, anyway?” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.  _ Damn it, Callum, ask her some more painful personal questions! _

 

“Evil wizard.” she spoke bitingly. Callum understood why. “Threw a magic mirror at my head while I tried to phase.”

 

“Phase?” He thinks for a moment.  _ Phase, phase, phase. A dark magic spell to jump through shadows. _ “So you’re a mage?” 

 

“Yup.” The shortness from before returned, but he couldn’t seem to pinpoint why. She did this when she was mad. “Just a simple mage.” Callum was still confused about what she was getting at. He inclined his head, giving her a sign that he didn’t understand what she was talking about.

 

“...” 

 

No more words were spoken between them for a while.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to review and leave kudos!  
> Love you all!


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